In spite of the advancements in our society more Americans are finding themselves bored, their lives dull and monotonous. It’s perhaps one of the greatest ironies of civilization- to have the things we have always wanted, almost everything well within our reach, and yet nothing seems to please us. In fact, a study conducted on 2,000 American adults showed that the average respondent found more than a third of their lives boring, stale, or even dreaded. We are surrounded by so many things that we never had access to decades ago, and there are so many things that we could get ourselves involved in, but we are regularly caught in a fun drought.
The demands of adulthood have become too much, as 60% of them think the lives they lead are “too grown up,” lacking the vigor of youth, while 73% feel they’ve missed their childhood days, or missed spending their birthdays (25%), times spent with friends in general (50%).
Parents, who are by nature expected to be most stressed, are found to be spending the most on fun annually at $5,000. Americans in general spend $303 per month on such activities. Chief Customer Officer Colie Edison of Bowlero Corp says “Bowlero centers are designed to elevate the guest experience into something we call social-tainment – which is all about having fun together – no matter how old you are,” and this is key in addressing the problem. Suffice to say, companionship is an important ingredient in beating boredom. Activity doesn’t necessarily mean satisfaction or fulfillment. It is more than just having something to busy oneself with. And to further stress this point, American adults have more fun when they are spent with their spouse/partner (58%), siblings (29%), children (42%), and peers (26%).